CS Weekly Archive > The Big Picture > 11/07/08

From Brothers to Soloists:
The 2008 AFI Film Festival

By jeff goldsmith and amy dawes

Creative Screenwriting editor Amy Dawes and CS senior editor Jeff Goldsmith report in from the 2008 AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Now in its 22nd year, boasting an attendance of nearly 65,000, the 2008 AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles (October 30 through November 9) began in the midst controversy! Screenwriter Susannah Grant's film The Soloist was pulled at the last minute by Paramount from its opening night gala slot nearly one week before the festival began—a nightmare for those running the festival who had already printed expensive programs. The official reason Paramount gave was a release date change as they moved the film to March 13, 2009, and they claim to be 100% happy with the film. However, rumors have abounded that this is the first casualty of Oscar season, as industry insiders see the release date change as a move to clear the field for its prime Oscar contender, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Oscar politics aside—now you must be wondering what film filled in for The Soloist to kick off the AFI Film Fest?

The last-minute replacement was none other than Oscar contender Doubt, written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, based on his 2005 Tony and Pulitzer award winning play. Doubt focuses on the inner workings of a 1960s Catholic Church and school as the new nun, Sister James (Amy Adams), begins to suspect that something might be wrong with Father Brendan Flynn's (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) relationship with a few of the school kids. After turning to the head nun, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), for help, it's up to the two of them to decide if there's any legitimacy to their doubts, and if so, how to stop Father Flynn.

Similar to the play, Doubt is a rich character study into church dynamics circa 1960, brimming with excellent dialogue that carries the film forward at just the right pace. All three leads turn in top-notch performances, proving yet again that there's nothing Meryl Streep can't do. Shanley's script adaptation keeps the doubts of his characters alive, and although there are a few moments that have the feel of a play, this is in no way to its detriment. It's a single-location character study with a few outdoors moments, which actually work well to expand the film's limited geographical scope. All of the energy from Shanley's play has been so expertly transported to the screen that it's a delight to watch.

One of the play's themes has been expanded upon slightly, with curiously timed gusts of wind suggesting the winds of change falling upon these characters. While it's an interesting touch to see once or twice, by the fourth time it becomes overkill. Yet, nothing can take away the film's taught dramatics, and it is recommended for writers looking to study great dialogue and solid character dramatics. A lavish party at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel followed the premiere. To read an interview with John Patrick Shanley, check out the latest issue of Creative Screenwriting Magazine.

Writer-director Rian Johnson's has finally followed up on 2005's Sundance sensation Brick with his second feature, The Brothers Bloom, which played in the AFI Festival this past Monday. Bloom concerns con-artist brothers Bloom (Adrien Brody) and Stephen's (Mark Ruffalo) attempts to swindle a rich heiress, Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz), only to realize that she may actually become their last big con before giving up the game for good.

Johnson's writing style luckily hasn't changed too much with his new film. The screenwriter has yet again concocted a simple storyline that Johnson then builds upon until the texture surrounding the simplistic concept enriches the entire experience (both the telling of it and the watching of it). Johnson's characters are the sincerely drawn, smooth-talking gents we've come to expect from him, and now with a budget in hand (supposedly nearing $20 million—a huge improvement on Brick's $500,000), Johnson's directorial style has grown in scope as he seamlessly implements special effects and grand locations into his storytelling.

For all the expensive dressing, Bloom's greatness is that it remains so character driven that Johnson could've made it on a cheaper budget. Bloom is a playful tale that should be of interest to writers who are fans of the con-man genre, and the quirky characters would be right at home in a Wes Anderson film. In fact, one of Bloom's most amusing facets is that the characters, like Johnson, meticulously outline each of their cons in great detail, which they then slowly unravel to their audience. This concept that each of their cons aren't just about the money, but the experience itself as well, is a rare instance of seeing a great storyteller arm his characters with his sharpest tools, and the reason why Johnson's films are worth watching regardless of the budget. To read an interview with Rian Johnson, check out the latest issue of Creative Screenwriting Magazine.

Despite the many competing events on Halloween weekend, the AFI Fest drew a near sell-out crowd to the capacious and historic Graumann's Chinese Theater the night of Nov. 1 to see Steven Soderbergh's Che. The director and his star Benicio Del Toro strode the red carpet leading into the centerpiece gala event, which kicked off at the early hour of 6 p.m. due to its length—the program featured both parts of the four-and-a-half-hour movie, along with an intermission. Soderbergh's Che starts well after the events of The Motorcycle Diaries, with the young socialist doctor Ernesto Guevara (Del Toro), who is later called Che, meeting up with others dedicated to revolution. He becomes a guerilla fighter in the tropical backcountry of Cuba, and for much of the first hour, leads a ragtag band of soldiers through minor skirmishes; while this low-key approach illustrates the dedication required, it will try the patience of most viewers, and one can't help but feel the ideas could have been condensed into 10 minutes. The momentum builds as the movement grows and the guerillas capture popular support and key cities. Just before the climactic battle in Havana, intermission happens, which had the desired effect of bringing people back for part two. But the second movie picks up years later, with Che moving to Bolivia undercover to try to inspire a revolution in that country, and we never see the Cuban rebels take Havana, or any of the effects—good or bad—of their overthrow of the power structure. While Del Toro's performance is entirely credible, the storytelling throughout affects a detached, documentary style, informative to a point, but not nearly as involving as it might have been with a conventional approach. Perhaps the subject matter brought out the rebel in Soderbergh; but as Che's doomed adventures in Bolivia illustrated, some areas offer fertile ground for revolution, and some, not so much.

Screening in the 'Alt Cinema' section of the festival was Before the Fall, an intense and impressive debut feature from Spain's F. Javier Gutierrez. Mixing sci-fi and horror elements, it poses the question, what would you do if a giant meteor was on course to destroy the planet and you had only three days to live? Personally, I'd cash out my accounts and jump a plane for Hawaii, but in this tale, a magnetic disturbance has brought all the planes crashing out of the sky, so there's nothing for the people of a barren village in southern Spain to do but fret and sulk and be awful to each other. Meanwhile, a prison riot has set loose a monstrous killer nearby, so the sad sack hero (Victor Clavjo) suffers the dread and anxiety of protecting his family against an implacable evil that approaches. While the harrowing story makes for a rather bleak sit, the filmmaker demonstrates a highly promising gift for style and suspense, his richly pictorial approach reveling in vivid textures and a mosaic of close-ups. Both the landscape and the production are spare, but Before the Fall is lavish in its moods and terrors.

The festival continues through Nov. 9, and showcases a total of 100 features (79 narrative and 21 documentary) and 48 shorts from 38 countries. Still ahead on Saturday night is a screening of Cannes Palm D'Or winner The Class, and on Sunday, the world premiere of Edward Zwick's Defiance. Advance tickets to these events are sold out, but rush line tickets may still be available.

Doubt courtesy Miramax

The Soloist courtesy DreamWorks
Che courtesy AFI Film Festival

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